He was right, and the truth sent anger pounding through me. I’d trained with daggers and in hand-to-hand combat. But when it came to sword fighting, all I had was instinct.

“It’s not enough,” he said, and my startled gaze fixed to his. “You’re intelligent enough to have come to that conclusion.” I blocked his next brutal swing, but it nearly caused my sword to collapse. “You were trained to deny your nature. I trained my son to embrace his.”

“Looks like that worked out well.” I gritted my teeth as I darted left and kicked out, catching Gabriel in the leg. It was about as helpful as kicking a wall, based on the way he arched his brow.

“Considering you’re mere minutes from losing control of your grace while he is over there checking his Picture Book, I’d say it has worked out quite well for him.”

I faltered. “Picture Book?”

“Instagram,” Sulien corrected. “It’s Instagram, Dad.”

I blinked.

“Whatever,” Gabriel muttered, his bare foot slamming into my midsection, knocking the air from my lungs.

“You...you don’t even know what Instagram is?” I gasped through the pain. “And you think you’re going to end the world?”

His lips peeled back in a sneer.

My arms shook as I leveled the sword in front of me, trying to keep distance between us. “I bet you think Snapchat is called Picture Talkie.”

Sulien snorted. “Actually, he thought Snapchat meant snapping your fingers when you talked.”

“Really?” I spared the Trueborn a brief glance.

“Yep.” Sulien slipped his phone into his pocket. “But you’re still getting your ass kicked.”

“At least I don’t call Instagram Picture Book,” I retorted.

Gabriel’s all-white eyes pulsed. “I am bored with this. You cannot win. You will never win. Submit.”

“Oh, well, when you ask that nicely, it sucks having to say no.”

“So be it.”

I blocked his thrust, but he moved to my side before I could track what he was doing. His elbow caught my chin, snapping my head back. I stumbled, regained my footing and struck out with my sword, arms trembling as his blade connected with mine. He spun into my peripheral vision once more, but this time I was expecting his attack. Jumping back, I turned—

His fist slammed into my cheek, and pain exploded along my ribs as he landed another blow. My legs folded before I could stop them. My control over my grace was lost as I caught myself before my head slammed into the dirt. Panic unfurled in the pit of my stomach as I struggled to sit up. I pushed it down, knowing I couldn’t give in to it.

“You are nothing but a worthless, selfish human the moment you lose control of your grace.” Gabriel stood above me. “You are weak. Corrupt. Defiled. You are nothing.”